


Baby, There's Magic in You

by CelticxPanda



Series: Melody From Another Ship [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Magical Bond, Multi, Political Bullshit, Shapeshifting, Soul Bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-07-26 08:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7567693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticxPanda/pseuds/CelticxPanda
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kourubi left the city for two reasons: to find Noboru-sensei his damned seeds, and to find a second Familiar before her final magical growth period. She accomplished both these things, but stumbled onto something a tad bit more sinister that she expected.</p>
<p>---------</p>
<p>An AU for <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/6799135/chapters/15527845">Melody From Another World</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions are Important

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration of reaching 100 kudos on Melody From Another World, I decided to start posting this AU as well. I hope you all enjoy, this is probably one of my favorite AUs to date.

Kourubi couldn’t help but giggle to herself as the villagers’ heads turned to stare at her as she passed. She supposed she couldn’t blame them, a village this tiny probably didn’t see too many mages. Especially not mages with a Familiar like hers. 

Kakashi trotted beside her, claws making soft click-clacking sounds on the cobblestone streets. His silvery grey fur shone in the warm sunlight the Land of Fire was known for. The villagers gave the wolf, and by extension his mage, a wide berth. Kourubi couldn’t imagine how they’d react to Hinata and Mai coming through town. 

If she were honest, she wouldn’t come through a tiny village like this on her own. She didn’t travel to the far-flung edges of the Elemental Nations like Naruto did. It wasn’t in her nature. If she wasn’t doing a favor for Noboru-sensei, she wouldn’t have wandered anywhere near this tiny hamlet. 

She glanced through the window of a small teashop, immediately stopping in her tracks. Sitting at a table just on the other side of the glass was one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen. His tan skin was several shades darker than any of the other villagers’, the scar running across his nose a boon rather than a bane. It gave his face character, making it more than just generically handsome. 

Kourubi felt a slight tugging at the edge of her consciousness as Kakashi morphed into his human form. His tail flicked at her legs from other his cloak and his ears twitched. 

“What is it, Kou-chan?” the Familiar murmured, pressing up against her side. 

“I need to talk to that man,” Kourubi whispered, pulling away from Kakashi to enter the tiny shop. Kakashi blinked in surprise, but followed after her diligently. 

Kourubi walked silently up to the man’s table, observing him as much as she could before he noticed her. The thrum of magical energy at the edge of her aura intrigued her. Not only was the man gorgeous, he was just what she was looking for. 

The man looked up from his book, catching notice of Kourubi. A faint blush dusted his cheeks as he took her in. Her eyes caught his attention first; he’d never seen a woman with red eyes before. The black feathers in her hair gave her a wild look. Her tunic was a finer fabric than anything the villagers wore, the deep wine color a tribute to the woman’s wealth. 

He cleared his throat, realizing he’d been staring. “Can I help you?”

“I have a feeling you can,” Kourubi said with a disarming smile. “May I sit with you?”

He nodded, glancing up at her companion. “Does your friend need a seat as well?”

Kakashi stared down at him with a single open eye, and he got the distinct feeling that the man was amused with him for some reason. “I’ll stand.”

Kourubi sat in the surprisingly comfortable seat. The village may have been a backwater, but the teashop seemed to understand the meaning of quality. “Introductions are in order, it seems. I am Karasuno Kourubi, a mage. This is my Familiar, Kakashi. Would you tell me your name?”

“Umino Iruka.”

Kourubi smiled at the waitress who came by to deposit a spare teacup for her. She reached for Iruka’s teapot, raising a questioning brow. She waited for him to nod before she helped herself. The smell of vanilla and hazelnut wafted up from the dark brew. 

“Tell me, Iruka-san, what is a Familiar like you doing in a tiny little village like this?” 

She watched his reaction as she spooned sugar in to her tea. Iruka’s posture suddenly became stiff and his eyes shifted around nervously. He eyed her with suspicion as she poured cream into her cup and stirred. 

“How can you tell?” he hissed.

Kourubi took a sip of tea giving a pleased sigh as the warmth slid down her throat. She turned her scarlet eyes his way with a knowing smile. “To any mage it would be obvious. A Familiar’s natural magic shines like a beacon, especially among the weak auras of normal humans.” She paused, eyes narrowing at his near panicked reaction. “Does this village feel poorly about Familiars?”

“Poorly? No, this village loves Familiars,” Iruka muttered bitterly. “Familiar children always sell to mage clans for a fair sum of money.”

Kourubi hid her scowl behind her teacup. She’d heard of mage clans buying up peasant Familiar children en masse to work for the family as servants before they were bonded to budding mages. She’d hoped the rumors weren’t true, but it seemed they were. She couldn’t imagine selling a child, but the things people could do when starving and desperate should not be underestimated. She’d wondered why she hadn’t seen any Familiar children while wandering the streets. Even in a village this small, at least one child should be a Familiar. But sensei had mentioned how last year’s harvest had been unusually small thanks to a minor blight. If what Iruka said was true, then she had her answer. 

“Why do you stay, then?”

Iruka rolled his eyes. “Like I’m going to bind myself to a wandering mage who gallivants all over the countryside doing just as much harm as they insist they do good.”

Kourubi gave a soft titter of a laugh. “Sounds like you’ve met my dear baby brother. I suppose that would be the only kind of mage you’d see around here, but believe me, Iruka-san, very few mages are actually like that. Take myself for example. I’m what the laymen call a ‘kitchen mage’ by trade. I brew tonics and tinctures to chase away aches and illnesses, and bake little spells into all kinds of sweet goodies.” She looked up at him through dark lashes and gave him a mysterious smile. “Though that’s hardly all I can do. But only a fool makes their full power their career.”

“Naruto did,” Kakashi muttered.

“Naruto is a fool,” Kourubi admitted, a fondness in her voice. “A well loved fool, but a fool nonetheless.” 

Iruka stared at her curiously. “What exactly is it you want from me?”

Kourubi set down her half empty cup of tea and laced her fingers together. “I suppose it’s pointless to circumvent the issue any longer. I am about to enter my final stage of magical growth, but I’m sure you’ve noticed I’m not exactly fully human.” She gestured to the feathers in her hair. “My mother was a mage, my father her Familiar. Half-Familiar mages tend to have far more innate magical energy then our purely human counterparts. Forcing so much magical energy onto a Familiar, no matter how strong they are, could put a terrible amount of strain on them. I’d hoped to find a second Familiar to help bear the load. When my sensei asked me for a favor that would take me out of the city, I thought it the perfect opportunity to search for my new Familiar. And, well, none of the Familiars I’ve encountered have called to me quite like you have, Iruka-san.”

“And you just expect me to drop everything and follow you just because you asked?” Iruka huffed. 

Kourubi’s cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment. Honestly, she had sort of expected that. Her bonding with Kakashi had been preordained. He’d come into her family’s care when she was still very young specifically to be her Familiar. She’d grown up knowing that the handsome wolf boy in the mask would be her Familiar and, when she reached maturity, her lover. She had no experience in recruiting a Familiar from the wild. Perhaps she should have asked Ryou for advice before she’d gone off. No, he would have told her to seduce herself a Familiar in the most literal sense. She wanted none of that…yet.

“The bonding doesn’t have to happen right away,” she promised. “I am still a few months away from the actual growth period. You could come live with me, see what I do, and then come to a decision on your own terms. No matter what you decide, I’ll respect it. What do you have to lose?”

“My freedom,” Iruka muttered stiffly. 

“You said you didn’t want to gallivant all over the countryside,” Kourubi reminded. “What freedom do you think I’d take away?”

Iruka remained silent, a contemplative frown on his face. 

“Just for a few weeks,” Kourubi insisted gently. “Give me just a few weeks to show you what I do. To show you how a mage works with their Familiar. Please?”

Iruka’s eyes hardened as he came to a decision. “Two weeks.”

Two weeks? It would take them nearly half that to make it back to Konoha. Could she really show him everything in a single week at home? She’d have to try.

“Two weeks,” she agreed. 

 

The first day was hard. It was clear that Iruka was still very suspicious of Kourubi and her motives. She supposed she couldn’t blame him, if the only interaction he’d had with mages amounted to those who participated in human trafficking. She’d have to request a meeting with Tsunade-sama when she returned to Konoha. 

She was grateful when she saw a small inn in the distance. The sun was starting to hang dangerously low in the sky and she had no desire to be caught out on the roads at night. Mage though she was, even she knew that being caught unawares when the sun went down was a bad idea.

The inn was a simple establishment, the two story stone and wood building built just the same as most of the inns along the roads. The interior was warm and earthy, the furniture a mishmash of different wood tones and the fire crackling in a stone hearth. 

“Hello travelers,” a stout woman behind the bar greeted them. “Haven’t seen you around here before. I’m guessing that means you’ll be looking for lodging for the night.”

Kourubi strode up to the bar with a friendly smile. “Yes. How much for two beds and supper and breakfast for each of us?”

The innkeeper looked a bit confused. “Only two beds, miss?”

“If you could,” Kourubi insisted gently. 

The innkeeper shrugged and flipped through her ledger. “I don’t have any single rooms available, milady. But there is a room with two beds. That and two meals for three would run you ten gold.”

“That will be fine,” Kourubi agreed, fishing the payment from her money pouch. The innkeeper shuffled out from behind the bar and led the trio up the stairs and down the hall. She unlocked the door for them, letting them into a fair sized room with two beds, one slightly bigger than the other. A small table sat against the wall and the window looked out onto the road. 

“The bath is just across the hall,” the innkeeper informed them. “Just drew the water up a few moments ago so it should still be hot. Will you be wanting your meals in your room?”

“That will be fine, thank you.” Kourubi waited for the woman to wander back down the hall before turning to her companions. “If you two will excuse me, I haven’t had a decent bath in far too long.”

“Shall I join you?” Kakashi asked teasingly, grinning behind the cloth of his mask. Iruka forced himself to ignore the fact that the other Familiar was clearly hitting on his mage. 

A slow, far from innocent smile slid across Kourubi’s lips. “If you must.”

Kakashi tossed his cloak over the back of one of the chairs and followed after Kourubi, winking at Iruka as he passed. Iruka’s face flushed red and he deliberately turned away from the door. Was this how it was with mages and their Familiars? There was so much he didn’t know. The curse of growing up in a tiny village, he supposed. 

The innkeeper brought up their food before Kakashi and Kourubi returned, setting it on the table before leaving with a smile. It was simple fare: a bowl of some kind of stew (a quick spoonful informed him it was beef), a wedge of cheese, and a generous slice of bread. Iruka quickly dug into the food, looking up when the door opened and Kourubi slipped through and nearly choking on a bite of cheese. The simple nightgown she wore clung to her still damp skin, showing off the curve of her hip and the swell of her breast. Her tunic and cloak hid more than he realized. His eyes followed a drop of water as it trailed down her neck, down over her collarbone. Even after it disappeared under her gown his gaze continued downward, over her breasts, across the expanse of tan skin hidden just out of sight by deep blue cotton, down the toned legs that seemed to go on forever. 

“Iruka-san? Are you alright?”

His eyes shot back up to Kourubi’s face, taking in the mildly concerned expression on her face. “Wh-what?”

“You were coughing, and then you were really quiet,” Kourubi recounted. “Are you alright?”

“Fine!” Iruka insisted, shifting awkwardly in his chair. “I’m fine.” 

Kourubi gave him a look that clearly said she didn’t believe him as she sat across from him at the table. “I’m sure you have lots of questions. I will answer all I can.”

Iruka glanced at the cloak thrown over Kourubi’s chair. “Are all Familiars expected to be so intimate with their mages?”

Kourubi blinked in surprise. She had expected that question eventually, but it wasn’t the first one she thought she’d hear from him. She reached down to rub her fingers at Kakashi’s warm cloak. “It is common. There are few relationships as all encompassing as that between a mage and their Familiar. But no, it is not expected.” She gave a small smirk. “Though I have a feeling that you aren’t nearly as opposed to that as you’re trying to appear.” 

Iruka scooted his chair back away form the table forcefully, his face a brilliant red and his legs crossed tightly to hide any evidence that could be used against him. Kourubi giggled, reaching for her own cheese and bread.

“W-where’s Kakashi-san?” Iruka asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

“He went to ask for our clothes to be laundered,” Kourubi answered. “If you want clean clothes, I suggest you go bathe as well.” 

“I’ll do that, then,” Iruka muttered, standing from his chair and grabbing his small bag of belongings before rushing out the door. 

 

Iruka slept poorly that night. Most of the hours were spent lying awake, staring either up at the ceiling or across the small room to the other bed where Kourubi slept curled into Kakashi’s chest. What sleep he did get was restless. 

He was grateful for the clean clothes that were laid out for him the next morning when he rose. The innkeeper’s daughter had left them outside the door for them some time in the early morning hours, just before sunrise. The innkeeper herself brought up breakfast some time later, apparently having waited until the clothes had been taken from the hall before she began cooking. 

Kourubi thanked the woman as they left; leaving a hefty tip on top of the fee she’d paid the night before. Iruka was surprised by the generosity. He’d been raised on the idea that the rich held onto their riches like a child held on to their mother’s teat, only parting with it when they no longer needed it. And Kourubi had to be rich indeed; her clothing and the way she held herself told him so. 

Once they were a fair distance from the inn Kakashi shifted into his wolf form and started darting in and out of the woods on either side of the road. 

“What’s he doing?” Iruka asked.

“Scouting,” Kourubi replied. “Keeping a look out for bandits, mostly. But also looking for herbs and berries. On journeys like this I like to pick wild herbs to use back at the shop. Kakashi uses that wonderful nose of his to help me find them.”

“I see. Do Familiars always do these sorts of things?”

“Depends on the Familiar and the mage. Kakashi would keep an eye out for bandits anyway; it’s in his nature to be protective of me. He started looking for herbs as well simply because he knew it made me happy. There’s an herb around here that can be used to make a tea he’s very fond of. If he helps me find it, I always make sure to save some of it to make tea. The relationship between a mage and their Familiar is a partnership above all else. We benefit from each other.”

“I doubt there is much I could do to benefit you,” Iruka groused.

“You’d be surprised,” Kourubi insisted gently. “Simply bonding with a mage would be help enough.”

“I still don’t understand what it is this so called bond does!”

Kourubi eyed him critically. “I suppose it’s only natural for you to be uninformed, given where you’re from. I’ll explain the best I can. There are two kinds of magic in the world: natural magic, the magic that flows within the fae and the Familiars and the earth itself; and mana, the magical energy that mages produce. The bond formed between a mage and their Familiar allows them to exchange their mana for natural magic to perform spells and manipulate the world around them. “

Iruka nodded in understanding. “Why do you need two Familiars then?”

“Halves like myself tend to have far more mana than human mages and generally have a harder time controlling it,” Kourubi explained, keeping her eye on Kakashi as he darted across the road to the other side of the woods. “The process of exchanging mana for natural magic can put a strain on a Familiar if it is not closely monitored and controlled. If I split the process between two familiars, then the threat of hurting either of them is lessened because the duty is halved.”

“What’s to stop you from collecting hundreds of Familiars if that’s the case?” 

Kourubi gave him a hard look. “A mage gifts the Familiar with a piece of their soul when the bond is formed. The most a mage could handle is perhaps five Familiars before they start to unravel.”

Iruka suddenly felt very rude for jumping to conclusions like he did. He hadn’t realized the toll bonding took on a mage. The soul was a precious thing, to give even a small piece to someone seemed beyond the pale to him. It was often said that a Familiar’s animal form was the shape of their soul. He wasn’t sure what that said about his soul. 

“Can…can the bond be undone?”

“Not completely,” Kourubi said softly with a shake of her head. “The connection can be severed, but the piece of soul cannot be recovered. The mage will always feel like a part of them is missing, and the Familiar will always feel like the mage is right beside them. It’s not a ideal situation.” 

“I see…” 

They said little else the rest of the day. Iruka didn’t want to upset Kourubi anymore than he already had. Instead, he watched her interact with Kakashi. He watched her face light up when Kakashi found that herb he liked in his tea so much. He watched the way Kakashi’s gaze softened whenever Kourubi wasn’t looking. He watched as Kourubi gently gripped the fur around Kakashi’s shoulders as he walked beside her in wolf form. They seemed almost too perfect for him to try and wedge himself into their world, invited or not.

 

Another night, another inn. Kakashi had suggested just pushing on through the night and reaching the city walls at sunrise but Kourubi didn’t want to be out on the main road late at night, even if they were within a day’s walk of the city. The inn was larger than the ones they stayed at the nights before, but it was also far busier. 

“I only have one bed available I’m afraid,” the innkeeper, a thin man with wiry hair, apologized. “It’s a very large bed, though. You might be able to fit if you squeeze. I’ll give you free meals for the trouble.”

“That will be fine,” Kourubi soothed. “Any bed is appreciated. We’ve come a long way.”

The bed, at least, was indeed very big. Kourubi was pleased with the private bathroom as well, and immediately disappeared inside it to bathe. This left Iruka alone with Kakashi for the first time since the journey had begun. Kakashi seemed unfazed by this, pulling out a well-worn paperback to read while Iruka stood awkwardly by the door. 

“Can…can I ask you something?” Iruka finally asked.

Kakashi’s single open eye turned towards him and the wolf nodded.

“You seem very fond of Kourubi-san…are you okay with her having another Familiar?”

Kakashi seemed to ponder his question for a moment before shrugging. “She says it’s to keep me safe. I believe her.”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

Kakashi gave a small sigh. “Above all else, I want Kou-chan to be safe and happy. If this will make her happy, then I don’t care how many Familiars she has. The fact she’s doing it for my benefit is just a bonus.” 

Iruka frowned. Kourubi had said she was drawn to him. But this had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her relationship with Kakashi. It wouldn’t matter if her second Familiar was him or some other random person she met in a village. 

“Stop that.”

The harshness of Kakashi’s tone startled him. The wolf glared at him and Iruka took a step back. 

“Kou-chan may be doing this for my benefit, but she would never just bond with some random Familiar. You called to her, deep in her soul. Even if she wasn’t already bonded to me, if she wasn’t searching for a second Familiar to help carry the burden of her mana, if she met you, she’d want to bond with you. She wants you, in more ways than one.”

Iruka wasn’t sure what to do with that. He still felt like he was intruding. Like he didn’t belong in the world Kakashi and Kourubi had built together.

“You’ll see what I mean,” was all Kakashi said after that.

 

Iruka pulled the spare quilt off of the bed, folding it over a few times before laying it on the floor. Kourubi sat up in bed to watch him curiously.

“Iruka-san? What are you doing?”

Iruka reached over to grab his pillow. “Sleeping on the floor.”

“Nonsense, you don’t have to do that!”

“But-“

“Iruka. Come to bed.”

The way she said his name, without the honorific, in that soft, sweet tone, he found he couldn’t say no. He set the pillow back where it was and climbed into bed. She turned to face him fully, opening her arms. He hesitated, but the sadness in her eyes when she saw how he paused spurred him forward. He allowed her to pull him close, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 

“You’re warm,” she murmured sleepily, her voice deeper than it usually was. It made him shiver.

The bed dipped as Kakashi settled at Kourubi’s back, an arm coming up to wrap around her hip, his hand splaying over her thigh. “Well,” he chuckled, a low, sensual sound from deep in his chest, “Isn’t this a pretty picture.”

Kourubi hummed in agreement, one of her hands reaching up to play with Iruka’s hair, pulling it free from its ponytail. “I like it. I’ll like it better when we’re back home in our own bed. It’s much bigger. Then we can cuddle because we want to, and not because you two will fall out if we don’t.” 

Iruka was lulled by the deep, sleep-heavy murmurs of his companions and the fingers that played with his hair and scratched gently at his scalp. Maybe, just maybe, he could see himself in Kourubi’s world.


	2. First Impressions Continue to be Important (But Most of Kourubi's Friends Aren't Very Good at Them)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of the Mage/Familiar AU! Plot is starting to seep in. I find myself become very fond of this AU, so I hope the rest of you enjoy it as well. Let me know what you think in the comments. I hope you enjoy!

Iruka had never seen so many people in one place before. The paved streets were packed with people of every shape and size and species. More than once Kourubi had to grab his arm and tug him along, he was so distracted by everything that was going on. The city, Konoha, was positively bustling. The streets twisted and turned, buildings on the main thoroughfare were packed close together, and in the distance, Iruka could see a white stone tower standing above all the rest. 

They eventually stopped in front of a narrow, ivy-covered house. Plants covered every square inch of the front garden, all of them looking very well kept.

“Is this your home?” Iruka asked, glancing up and down the street.

“No, this is Noboru-sensei’s house,” Kourubi corrected. “I wanted to stop by here before we headed home. Once I’m through my door, I won’t want to leave for days.” 

“It’s true,” Kakashi whispered conspiratorially to Iruka as Kourubi hopped up the front steps to knock on the pastel blue door. “Last time we came back from a long expedition, she wouldn’t leave the bed until she was absolutely starving the next day.” 

They only had to wait a moment before the door swung open, revealing a man with deep black hair, violet eyes, and dirt smeared across his face. His face lit up with a smile when he saw Kourubi.

“Kourubi! It’s good to see you.”

“Hello, Noboru-sensei,” Kourubi greeted. She reached into her satchel to pull out a small drawstring bag. “I have something for you.”

Noboru practically glowed as he took the small bag in his hands and ushered them all inside. He gave a curious frown at Iruka’s presence but said nothing until the four of them were settled in the parlor. Just like the front garden, the house’s interior was positively covered in greenery. Hanging pots dangled from the ceiling, succulents soaked up sunshine in windowsills, every shelf not packed with books was covered with small potted plants. 

“Thank you for bringing me the seeds,” Noboru began, sitting in a plush chair across from Kourubi and her companions. “I would have made the journey myself, but you know how the council can be. Once a session starts, no one gets to leave until every matter is settled.”

“Of course,” Kourubi agreed with a nod. Her pleasant smile fell away then, a look of concern replacing it. “Speaking of the council…would it be possible to request an audience with them? I’ve heard…upsetting things during my travels that I would like to discuss with them.”

Noboru frowned heavily. “I will see what I can do. What have you heard?”

“With all due respect, Noboru-sensei, I think I’d like to wait until Tsunade-sama is present to say anything,” Kourubi said.

“Excuse me,” Iruka interrupted, “But who’s Tsunade-sama?”

Noboru blinked at him before turning to Kourubi once more. “You haven’t introduced me to your new companion.”

“Oh, yes.” Kourubi reached out and placed a hand on Iruka’s arm, her eyes not leaving Noboru’s face. “This is Umino Iruka. I met him while on my expedition and I hope to make him my second Familiar. He’ll be staying with me for a short while until he makes his decision.”

Noboru hummed in understanding, giving Iruka a thorough once over with his eyes. “I see. Well, Iruka-san, Tsunade-sama is the head of the Mage Council, the governing body of the mages of the Land of Fire. Anyone who holds that position is called the Hokage. The title of council head differs from country to country but supposedly the seat goes to the strongest mage in that nation.” 

Iruka looked surprised. “I didn’t realize mages had a governing body.”

“Why wouldn’t we?” Noboru asked, sounding almost offended by Iruka’s statement. 

“You’ll have to forgive him, sensei,” Kourubi quickly stepped in. “He comes from a very remote village and the mages he’s interacted with before his point have not exactly been good people.”

Noboru glanced Iruka’s way once more before the tension left his shoulders. His frown, however, remained.

“How is Gai, by the way?” Kourubi asked, desperate to change the subject. “I’m surprised he isn’t here.” 

“Gai is out doing his daily exercises,” Noboru replied, a fondness sneaking into his voice. “I appreciate his dedication, but I wish he didn’t run laps around the entire city.”

“He certainly is a character,” Kourubi said mildly. She stood, Iruka and Kakashi quickly following suit. “It has been nice to see you, sensei, but I’m afraid I’m terribly tired. And I’ve missed my bed.”

Noboru nodded, a small, amused smile on his face. “I understand completely. Go. Get some rest. I’ll speak with the council.”

 

Iruka stared up at the building before him. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. It was a simple three-story building. The bottom floor appeared to be a café. Through the large front windows he could see glass jars of tealeaves lining the back wall, small, round tables dotted the space in front of a counter that was flanked by glass display cases. Kourubi led him through the shop to a small, nondescript wooden door in the back that opened up to a staircase. Climbing up that staircase led to a warm, inviting living space. The walls were a neutral cream color and most of the furniture was of similar earthy tones, greens and browns of every shade with the occasional cream or dark blue cushion. At the other end of the open space was another staircase that led up to what Iruka could only assume were the bedrooms. 

Kourubi glanced over at Iruka, a tiny giggle escaping her at his awed expression. “Welcome home, Iruka-san.” 

Iruka flinched at the voice that interrupted his thoughts. When he turned to Kourubi, her expression was soft and warm, but ultimately unreadable. She breezed by him, dropping her satchel on one of the chairs around a small dining table. Her cloak took up residence on the back of said chair. Kakashi dropped his things by the comfy looking couch. He strode across the room, dropping a kiss on Kourubi’s cheek through his mask before informing her that he’d draw up a bath and ascending the stairs. Iruka stood where he was, unsure what to do with his own bag. Kourubi seemed to notice his hesitation, because she wandered over to take his bag from him and set it on the dining table. 

“We’ll worry about all of that after we’ve bathed,” she informed him. “I don’t know about you, but right now I just want to be clean.” 

“You seem very fond of taking baths,” Iruka observed absentmindedly. 

Kourubi flashed him an amused smile. “One must enjoy the simple pleasures in life.” 

 

A sugary sweet scent filled the air as Iruka stepped out of the bathroom. He padded quietly down the stairs, following the scent. He found Kourubi in the kitchen, whisking something in a large bowl. Kakashi watched her from across the counter, tail wagging slowly back and forth above the deep brown seat of the stool he occupied. 

“I thought you said you were tired.”

Kourubi and Kakashi looked up at him, Kakashi’s face was unreadable but Kourubi smiled as he approached. 

“I am tired, but I also need goodies for the shop. Just a few.” She pulled the whisk from the bowl, a cream-colored batter dripping back down into the bowl. “Perfect. Kakashi, if you would.”

She held out a hand to her Familiar, her other hand hovering over the bowl of batter. Kakashi reached out to grasp her hand. Iruka felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as a strange energy filled the room. Iruka gasped as he watched two swirling, glowing auras surround the two in the kitchen. Kakashi’s pale, silvery glow seemed to twitch and jump like lightning. Kourubi’s aura, the same wine red color as her tunics, ebbed and flowed like the tide on a beach. It reached out to touch Kakashi’s energy, the white lightning calming in response to Kourubi’s call. Kourubi’s aura slipped over Kakashi’s, pulling at it, drawing it into itself. A small piece separated from Kakashi, a similarly sized orb of Kourubi’s aura left in its place. The white light moved through Kourubi before spilling out into the bowl. The light faded, and Kourubi squeezed Kakashi’s hand one last time before letting go.

“Was that…magic?” Iruka asked in a tiny voice.

“Yep,” Kakashi replied casually, his eyes following Kourubi about the kitchen as she pulled out a cupcake pan. 

“I thought there would be…I don’t know, chanting or some kind of incantation,” Iruka mumbled as he slipped onto a stool beside Kakashi.

Kourubi giggled as she dropped liners into the cupcake pan. “Oh, not for a simple little good luck spell like that. Especially not when I’ve done it hundreds of times before. Bigger magic, magic that requires more focus, I’d have to use incantation for that.”

Iruka watched as Kourubi spooned the batter into the lined pan, looking to see if he could find any sort of sign of the magic she’d just performed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, they didn’t look any different from the glance he’d gotten of the batter before the spell had been cast. 

“You look like you expect them to sparkle or something,” Kakashi said, the joking lilt to his voice making Iruka blush in embarrassment.

“You can’t even tell a spell’s been cast on them,” Iruka muttered.

“It doesn’t matter what they look like as long as they work,” Kakashi insisted. “And as long as they’re delicious.” 

“I’ve not had any complaints yet,” Kourubi said with a laugh, closing the oven door on her cupcakes. She whipped her hands on the pastel green apron she wore. “But I must admit I’m not going to do any more baking today. I’ll just have to get up extra early tomorrow to get some more done before we open up.”

“I’m guessing that means straight to bed after dinner?” Kakashi teased. 

Kourubi looked at the large clock hanging above the pantry door. “Hmm, possibly. I hadn’t realized how late it was. I have no wish to bother with dinner. Kakashi, run down to the little café down the street and bring home something, would you?”

Kakashi grunted as he stood from his stool, stretching out a hand towards Kourubi. The mage wandered over to the dinning table and dug her coin purse out of it to hand over to Kakashi.

“Perhaps Iruka-san would like to come with me?” Kakashi offered. “It would do him well to know the city.”

Kourubi turned to Iruka with a smile. “What say you, Iruka-san?”

Iruka stared at the two, a bemused frown on his face. “I-I suppose?”

Iruka could tell Kakashi was grinning, even with the mask in the way. “Excellent! Come along.”

 

Even with the sun going down, the city streets were full of people. Streetlights with tiny flickers of flame lined the paved walkways, keeping the city feeling bright and warm. Several people passing by called greetings to Kakashi, who returned them politely, but fairly indolently. It was a vast difference from the playfulness he showed with Kourubi. 

The café in question was a simple thing, brown brick and yellow plaster covered the outer walls and plain wooden chairs and tables lined the front. A small bell chimed their entrance, drawing the attention of a young woman with pale blonde hair behind the counter. 

“Kakashi-san! It’s been a while. Who’s your friend?” the woman asked cheerfully.

“Hello, Ino-chan,” Kakashi greeted. “This is Iruka-san, a guest of ours.”

The woman, Ino, eyed Iruka with a playful blue gaze. “A very handsome guest.”

Iruka blushed a brilliant red. What was it with city women and being so damn blatant about their leering? Kourubi had been the same way that first night on the road. 

“Down, Ino,” Kakashi warned.

Ino huffed. “I never get to have any fun. Whatever, what can I get you?”

“Whatever’s especially good today,” Kakashi said. 

Ino hummed thoughtfully before pulling out a series of waxed paper bags and stuffing them full of small pastries and sandwiches. She then compiled these bags into a larger bag and shoved it over the counter towards Kakashi. In response, Kakashi dropped a few coins onto the counter, took the bag into his arms, and turned to leave. Iruka muttered a small ‘thank you’ before following his companion out the door. 

 

Kourubi was still in the kitchen when they returned, the cupcakes having been pulled out of the oven. She was smearing large dabs of pale pink frosting onto them, and somehow had gotten a dab of frosting on her cheek in the process. She looked up as they crested the top of the stairs, smiling brightly.

“Welcome back,” she greeted. 

She set her spatula aside and walked towards them. Kakashi bent down and Iruka stared as he slipped his mask off his face to lick a wet stripe up Kourubi’s cheek, catching the frosting on his tongue. No wonder the man hid his face behind his mask. Iruka was hardly handsome and if the women of the city leered at him, he didn’t want to think about what they’d do to a man with a face like Kakashi’s. 

“You always make a mess of yourself,” Kakashi teased lightly, laying a light kiss on Kourubi’s cheek where the frosting had been not moments before.

“Maybe I just like how you help me clean up,” Kourubi shot back with a sly smile. She took the bag of food out of his arms and set it on the now clean dining table. “Ooh, Ino must have been working today, Shikamaru never gives us this much!”

The three of them settled around the table, taking small samples of pretty much everything. Iruka was amazed at how comfortable he was doing this, sharing a meal with Kourubi and Kakashi in their home. It was almost like it was his home too, even though he’d only been there a few hours. He didn’t know where he’d be sleeping and he felt like he’d been living there for years. It was both a comforting and frightening feeling.

 

The sun had set below the horizon, but the faint, warm glow of the streetlamps still shown through the curtains. Kourubi dozed in one of the comfy armchairs in front of the fireplace. Kakashi gave a quiet huff of a laugh and lifted her up into his arms. 

“I think it’s time for bed, don’t you, Iruka-san?” Kakashi drawled, glancing over his shoulder to where Iruka sat staring out at the city.

Iruka turned, startled when he locked gazes with Kourubi over Kakashi’s shoulder. Even drowsy, her eyes seemed to see right through him. She made a beckoning motion with her hand and Iruka couldn’t bring himself to be surprised anymore when he followed. Kakashi led the way up the stairs, pausing in front of a dark wooden door. He shifted his hold on Kourubi, looking like he was going to try and open the door with her still in his arms, but Iruka stepped in to save him the trouble. The wolf nodded his head in thanks and carried his mage over the threshold. 

The bedroom was sparsely decorated. Its pastel blue walls mostly bare save for a few small pictures of Kourubi, Kakashi, and several people Iruka didn’t recognize. There was little in the way of furniture, seeing as the bed took up most of the room. Kourubi hadn’t been kidding when she said her bed was large. If she tried, she could fit probably five people with room to spare. 

Kakashi set Kourubi gently down on the soft white sheets and the mage rolled until she was situated in the middle of the bed. 

“’Ruka…” Iruka shuddered at the way Kourubi called his name, one arm outstretched towards him. He swallowed thickly, sitting on the edge of the bed opposite Kakashi. He hesitated, like he had the night before. At the inn, sharing the bed, and the closeness that facilitated, had been necessary. Here, it was a choice. He was sure that Kourubi had a guest room in the house. If he refused her invitation, he could just sleep there. 

But did he want to?

Kourubi’s face had fallen at his hesitation, her hand drawing back when Iruka finally slipped fully into bed. She gasped softly as he pressed close, burying his face in her neck. Kakashi gave a soft sigh of relief as he moved to lie beside Kourubi. He’d been worried that Iruka would refuse, and he’d have to spend the night comforting his mage. But he should have known that Iruka would have chosen to sleep in Kourubi’s arms. The pull went both ways, after all. Iruka was just as drawn to Kourubi as Kourubi was drawn to Iruka. As she had been drawn to him and he to her in their youth. Kakashi whispered soft reassurances into her ear as he pressed against her side. Kourubi responded by reaching up to rub at the base of his sensitive ears, feeling them twitch under her fingers. 

Kourubi pressed a ghost of a kiss to the top of Iruka’s head. “Sweet dreams, Iruka-san.”

 

Iruka woke to the sun pouring into the room through the crack in the curtains. It took him a moment to realize that he was alone. He didn’t know when the others had left, but they’d been gone long enough that the bed had lost much of its warmth. He slowly sat up, taking in the room around him once more. The wall of pictures caught his eye. He slid from bed and wandered over to get a closer look. He recognized Noboru from the day before in one image with a teenaged Kourubi and another mage with brilliant teal colored hair. Kourubi wasn’t in most of the pictures on her wall. The only other one he saw of her was an old family portrait. She was very young in the image, her hand clenched tightly in a similarly young Kakashi’s sleeve. Behind them stood a woman with fierce eyes and a man with feathers in his hair, Kourubi’s parents. 

Iruka’s stomach growled, startling him from his thoughts. He turned to the barely open door, pulling it completely open only to be hit with a wave of sweet smelling aromas. He followed the scents down the stairs to find Kourubi bustling about the kitchen, large platters of various different pastries covering every available surface. Kakashi was curled up on the couch in wolf form, watching her. His head rose from his paws as Iruka came down the stairs, catching Kourubi’s attention as well. 

“Good morning, sleepy head,” Kourubi greeted cheerfully. “There’s some donuts on the coffee table you can have for breakfast.” 

Iruka glanced over to the space that counted as the living room and saw a small platter of pink glazed donuts on the low table. He could feel Kourubi’s expectant, almost nervous gaze on him as he bent down to pluck one from the plate. He bit into the pastry, the mild tartness of lemon and the sweetness of strawberry sliding over his tongue. He hummed in delight at the taste, far better than the simple scones the teahouse back in his village. He heard a tiny sigh of relief from the kitchen. 

Iruka munched happily on his donut, grabbing two more off the plate when he was done with it. He watched with mild interest as Kourubi carried her trays of pastries down the stairs, humming a happy tune he didn’t recognize as she went. Kakashi followed after her on the last trip down, slipping into his human form in order to help her carry the last few platters. She returned one last time, depositing her apron over the back of the couch before turning to Iruka with a small, almost shy smile.

“Iruka-san, would you like to help in the shop today?” 

Iruka paused, his fifth (and final, he promised) donut half way to his mouth. He hadn’t expected Kourubi to ask him to participate in the daily running of the shop. Though, now that he thought about it, he wasn’t entirely sure what he thought he’d be doing. Kourubi had said she wanted to show him what she did, how her days were normally spent. Of course she’d show him how she ran the shop. 

“I suppose…if you think I could be of any use…”

Her smile was blinding. “Wonderful! Come down whenever you’re ready.”

 

By the time Iruka was finished preparing for the day, Kourubi had already opened the shop and was dealing with an elderly woman at the counter. Iruka watched from the door to the house proper as the woman described her aches and difficult moving about the house to Kourubi, who listened with a sympathetic smile on her face. She then turned to the various jars of loose tea blends along the wall behind her, a thoughtful frown on her face. Standing on her tiptoes, she pulled a half full jar from the top shelf and placed it on the counter in front of the woman, Kakashi appearing from no where and handing her an empty tin. He slipped away as Kourubi started filling the tin and explaining the proper brewing method to the woman, wandering over to a table where several young women sat chatting and eating slices of cake. They all giggled giddily as he approached, shushing and smacking at each other. Iruka’s gaze shifted back to Kourubi as the woman handed her a handful of coins and shuffled out. Kourubi waved goodbye and tucked the money away. She turned to Iruka with a smile.

“Welcome to the Crow’s Forest,” she greeted playfully. “Home to enchantments of the sweet variety. What sort of spell are you looking for today?”

Iruka snorted as he tried to keep from laughing. “Is that your actual opening line?”

“Hey, if it works,” Kourubi said with a shrug.

Iruka moved closer, coming fully behind the counter. “What can I help with?” 

Kourubi hummed thoughtfully, her gaze sweeping the shop. She didn’t want to assign Iruka simple, menial tasks like cleaning. But at the same time, he didn’t know enough about her shop and the things she sold to be much help behind the counter. Then again, she could always give him little lessons about all of her products as they went…

“How about you help me behind the counter for a little while. I can show you all the different goodies I make.”

Kakashi wandered over, arms full of dirty plates as the young women filed out, still giggling. The look on his face told Iruka that this sort of thing happened frequently enough that Kakashi had lost all ability to be phased by it. 

“They didn’t pinch your ass again did they?” Kourubi asked, hands on her hips and a disappointed frown on her lips. “I’ve told them to stop that.”

“No, no they didn’t do that,” Kakashi promised, kicking open a swinging door that lead to some sort of back room. “But one of them did leave a love note with their tip again.”

Kourubi sighed heavily. “Those girls. I have half a mind to tell them not to come by anymore.”

“Why don’t you?” Iruka asked. “If they make you and Kakashi uncomfortable, why allow them in the shop?”

Kourubi groaned, rubbing at her face with her hands. “Because one of those girls is the daughter of the head of the Civilian Council. Witch though I may be, if I piss him off I could lose my license to sell goods.” 

“He can’t just take it away, can he?” 

“Well, supposedly he’s not allowed to without a good reason, like illness being spread by my food or my spells not working as advertised. But he could easily make up a story about his daughter and her friends becoming ill after eating my goods.” Kourubi rested her head on the cool stone of the counter, hiding her pout from Iruka. “So we just deal with it.”

“You shouldn’t have to,” Iruka insisted gently. 

“I know we shouldn’t,” Kourubi said. “But that doesn’t me we don’t.”

Before Iruka could say anything else, a large, fluffy, orange and white manx came wandering through the door. Iruka stared as the cat trotted across the floor and then leapt onto the store counter like he belonged there. In the cat’s mouth was a small, folded piece of paper.

“Good morning to you too, Genma,” Kourubi greeted sarcastically. “I see Ryou can’t be bothered to visit his oldest and dearest friend himself.”

The cat, Genma, dropped the note on the counter. Kourubi sighed heavily once more and picked up the note, reading it carefully. She turned to Iruka with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Iruka-san, could you run upstairs and get me a cup of sugar. Ryou’s been making deals with the fae again without being properly supplied.”

Iruka hesitated for a moment, but nodded and turned to tread up the stairs. It wasn’t until he reached the kitchen that he remembered he had no idea where Kourubi kept the sugar. Too embarrassed to go back downstairs and ask, he began opening cupboards and searching any containers he could find. Eventually, he found both brown and white sugar. Unsure which one the fair folk preferred, he scooped out a cup of each and carried the two cups down the stairs once more. He was surprised to find a man not much older than he was sitting where the cat had been, speaking in hushed tones with Kourubi.

“…tell Ryou I appreciate him looking into this for me,” Kourubi was saying. “But I do expect him to actually come talk to me before the next Council meeting.” 

The man, Iruka assumed this was Genma, nodded, his white and orange ears flickering Iruka’s direction just seconds before he looked up and saw Iruka standing dumbly off to the side. Kourubi turned as well, that same incomplete smile on her face. 

“I-I didn’t know if the fairies preferred white or brown sugar,” Iruka stuttered. “So I brought both.”

“You’re so thoughtful,” Kourubi said. She pulled out two small tea tins, allowing Iruka to pour the sugar in before closing them tightly and handing them off to Genma. “Seriously, though. I want to see Ryou some time soon. I’ve been gone for weeks. The least he can do is stop by for some cake.”

Genma gave a quiet chuckle. “I’ll let him know.” 

He then spun around on the counter and hopped off like he did that sort of thing all the time (he did), strolling out the door with only a slight nod of his head to say goodbye. Kourubi sighed fondly before turning back to Iruka.

“Would you mind taking those back up to the kitchen and setting them in the sink?” She asked, point to the measuring cups Iruka had carried the sugar down in.

Iruka nodded mutely and left. As soon as the door to the stairs closed, Kakashi appeared at Kourubi’s side, pressing up against her comfortingly.

“You’ll have to talk to him about it sooner or later,” he murmured. “If he bonds with you he’ll get involved eventually.”

“If the bonding happens,” Kourubi agreed, her voice somber. “If the bonding happens, then I’ll tell him. If the possibility of him leaving is still present, then there’s no need to burden him.”

Kakashi nuzzled her hair. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“I know you will.”


	3. The Bonds of Friendship (TM) Have Nothing on Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've updated this little AU. Hopefully the chapter is good enough to make up for it. Let me know what you think in the comments! Enjoy!

The week passed slowly, not that Iruka minded terribly. Most of his time was spent with Kourubi, learning how to bake or brew tea, and what enchantments went with which sweet. When he wasn’t doing that, he was shadowing Kakashi as he cleaned up the shop and ran errands. He was finally feeling useful. 

He paused in his sweeping. The two weeks he’d allowed Kourubi to change his mind were almost up, and he hadn’t fully come to a decision yet. It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed his time with Kourubi and Kakashi…he just wasn’t sure if they needed him as much as they said they did.

Sighing, Iruka resumed his sweeping of the shop’s doorstep. A loud, uproarious sound came from just up the street, nearly startling Iruka into dropping his broom. He stepped away from the door, standing in the middle of the street to peer into the distance. Panic shot through him when he saw them. A small band of mercenaries or some other unsavory folk was parading down the road, causing chaos as they went. He could hear the sound of smashing glass even from this distance. Mothers rushed their children off the road and men cowered behind doors.

Iruka ducked back into the shop, climbing the stairs two at a time up towards their living quarters. Kourubi was at the window when he reached the top, trying to see what was causing the ruckus. Kakashi was right beside her, his shoulders tense and his ears flat against his head. Kourubi turned to him, a question in her eyes.

“Iruka…?”

“Bandits or mercenaries or something. At least a dozen of them.”

Kourubi’s eyes went cold. Her gaze flitted to Kakashi’s face. “Kakashi, get my staff.”

“You have a staff?” Iruka asked as Kakashi bolted upstairs.

“I don’t use it often,” she explained. “Most of the magic I use isn’t big or complicated enough to need it. But I don’t have a lot of experience in combative magic, so having the extra focus point wouldn’t exactly hurt.”

Kakashi was back a scant few seconds later, staff in hand. It was made of a wood so dark it seemed almost black. At the top, the wood was carved into the shape of a bird, and nestled in its wings was a gem stone the size of a human fist, which shifted colors in the light from red to blue to yellow and back again. Tied just under the carved bird, tied about the staff with thick leather string, were two unusually large white feathers. 

Without another word, Kourubi stormed out of the house, rushing down the stairs and out into the street below. Iruka and Kakashi followed shortly behind her, though Iruka wasn’t entirely sure why he’d followed. It wasn’t like he’d be of much help. 

The bandits were close enough that Kourubi could see their faces clearly. She felt Kakashi beside her, his arm slipping about her waist. The physical contact wasn’t strictly necessary when casting magic, but they preferred it. She raised her staff, feeling the wind kick up around her as she focused her mana.

“Mighty winds of the four corners,” she chanted. “Red South, Blue North, Green East, Yellow West. Your daughter calls upon you in her time of need. Flurry of raven wings, the gusts of past, present and fu-“

“RASENGAN!” 

An orb of blue-white mana and wind hurtled past them, landing in the middle of the mob. At first it drew them in, like a vacuum, before expelling them outwards in a spiraling explosion of wind and dust. Kourubi whipped around to figure out where the spell had originated. 

Golden yellow hair and the brightest sapphire blue eyes greeted her. She nearly dropped her staff as she felt giddiness bubble up in her stomach. She rushed to him, her hands cupping warm, whiskered cheeks.

“Naruto!” her exclamation was breathless. “It feels like it’s been lifetimes since you were home.”

Naruto grinned at her. “It’s only been three months, nee-chan.”

She pressed her forehead to his, a beaming smile matching Naruto’s on her lips. “And how dark have my days been without my sweet Sunshine.”

An almost embarrassed laugh escaped him. “Nee-chan!”

“I assure you, I appreciate the reunion as much as anyone,” Kakashi interrupted, “But we’re not done here.”

Kourubi’s hands dropped from Naruto’s face as she turned to see that there were indeed some bandits that had not been caught in Naruto’s spell. 

“We were in the middle of something,” Kakashi reminded, a teasing lilt to his voice. “Seems only right we finish it.”

Kourubi nodded, lifting her staff once again at the feeling of Kakashi’s hand on her hip. “Flurry of raven’s wings, the gusts of the past, present, and future shall carry you to eternity. From the Sky Cloaked in Sunlight, I call upon the GREAT BREAKTHROUGH!”

A maelstrom erupted from Kourubi’s staff, pushing back against the bandits that were still standing, knocking them asunder and pushing them back many meters more once they’d lost their footing. The winds stopped abruptly, Kourubi cutting off the spell before it could drain too much of her mana. She staggered briefly, smiling up at Kakashi when he held her steady.

“Wow!” Naruto whistled appreciatively. “When did you learn wind magic, nee-chan?”

Kourubi turned, wagging her staff at the younger mage. “If you didn’t run off every three weeks, you’d know that.” Her face broke into a grin again. “It’s good to see you, baby brother. Now, where are my Little Lion Man and Cherry pie?”

Two small, young looking cats slinked out from around Naruto’s feet. One was sleek and black, the other white and fluffy with big green eyes. 

“Here we are, senpai!” the white one chirped. Iruka watched as the cats shifted into two young people around Naruto’s age. The white one: a woman with pink hair and white cat ears and tail; the black one a young man with hair and eyes the same midnight black as his fur. 

“Sasuke! Sakura!” Kourubi grabbed the both of them and pulled them into a tight hug. Sakura laughed joyously and hugged back. Sasuke was quick to try and hide his face in his hair, though Iruka could still see the red on his cheeks. “Oh, I’ve missed you all.”

“Not as much as I’ve apparently missed the fight.” Iruka nearly jumped out of his skin at the new voice. A mage that looked strangely familiar strode forward. Iruka’s eyes widened at the sight of the orange and white cat from earlier riding on the mage’s shoulders. 

“So now you grace me with your presence!” Kourubi shouted, though she didn’t sound truly angry. “Seems only fitting that you deal with clean up duty. It’s the perfect job for your little friends.” 

“It’s nice to see you, Ryou,” Naruto said with a nervous laugh.

“Of course it’s nice to see me,” Ryou muttered, pulling out a pinch of sugar and stick of teal chalk that matched his hair. 

“Kou-chan?” Kourubi paled at the strange wavering of Kakashi’s voice. She turned, only barely catching him in time as his legs gave out from underneath him. 

“Kakashi?!”

Naruto ducked under Kakashi’s other arm, helping Kourubi keep him upright. Ryou paled, his eyes darting back and forth between his friend and the mess that had been left on the street.

“Get him inside, I’ll deal with things out here,” he ordered.

Kourubi nodded, her wide, frightened eyes landing on Iruka. “The door!”

Iruka scrambled to the building, holding open the door for Kourubi and Naruto as they maneuvered Kakashi through. He bolted ahead just as they made it through, earning a shout from Sasuke when the door slammed in his face, and opened the door to the apartment upstairs. Sakura slipped through ahead of Kourubi and Naruto as a cat, shifting back the moment she reached the top. 

“Get him on the couch,” she instructed. Iruka’s eyes went wide when her hands started glowing a pale green color. 

Kourubi laid Kakashi down as carefully as she could before immediately backing away to let Sakura examine him. She turned and walked a short distance away, her face pale and her hands shaking. Iruka reached out, but quickly drew his hand back.

“What…what is she doing?” he asked, hoping his question would refocus the young mage.

Kourubi’s scarlet eyes flickered over to where Sakura was kneeling over Kakashi. “Sakura has healing magic.”

“Is she a mage?”

She shook her head. “No, no. All familiars have a way of molding the natural magical energy that flows through them. Though only the ones who are bonded to mages tend to have the training necessary to access their magic.”

“I see…” 

“Kourubi-senpai.”

Kourubi returned to Kakashi’s side as Sakura stood, the glow fading from her hands.

“Is he going to be okay?” Kourubi asked in a hushed whisper.

Sakura nodded. “He’ll be fine. He’s just chakra exhausted. It’s no surprise, really. You’ve never had great mana control, and elemental spells like that take a lot out of anyone. But if you’re going to keep that up, and considering the rumors that have been flying around, you probably will, then you really need another Familiar. That’s what he’s for, right?” She nodded towards Iruka, who stood off to the side wringing his hands.

“I don’t know,” Kourubi admitted. “He hasn’t agreed to anything yet.”

“You might want to figure out if he’s staying or leaving, then,” Sakura advised. “Because I don’t know how much more Kakashi-sensei can handle on his own.” 

There was a groan from the couch. “Stop talking about me like I can’t hear you.”

Kourubi dropped to her knees beside the couch, one of her hands going to her Familiar’s sweat soaked hair. He tried to smile at her through his mask, but she could tell it just ended up being a grimace.

“I’m sorry, Kashi,” she murmured. “I knew the cycle was soon, but I thought, just maybe I still had enough control.”

He shushed her. “It’s not your fault. We couldn’t have known I’d react like this. I’m the one who’s sorry. Sorry…for not being strong enough…”

“You stop that!” she hissed angrily. “This has nothing to do with whether you’re strong or not.”

Iruka watched them, his mind racing. This was what Kourubi had brought him here to prevent. He had no idea what exactly it was that caused Kakashi to collapse, but he knew it had everything to do with the fact that he wasn’t able to handle the transfer of mana to natural magic. If Iruka had just stopped hesitating, then this wouldn’t have happened. He watched as Kourubi stood, pressing a kiss to Kakashi’s brow as she did, and turned away. She walked towards him, her pretty eyes clouded with doubt.

“Will he be okay?” Iruka asked, his voice quiet.

“Yes, Sakura says it’s just chakra exhaustion. I took too much from him.”

“Chakra?” Iruka echoed.

“It’s another word for the natural magical energy,” Kourubi explained. “Much easier to say when you’re in a hurry.”

Iruka nodded. “If…if he did run out of chakra…what could happen?”

“Fainting, like you’ve seen, is pretty common, especially for mild chakra exhaustion,” Kourubi said. “More serious cases can cause mana burns that can leave nasty scars. Psychological damage is another possibility, though it’s very rare. If someone ran out of chakra completely…it’s very likely that they could die. Even repeated mild chakra exhaustion can be fatal.” 

Iruka paled, wringing his hands. “I see. Now I understand why you were so desperate.”

Kourubi had no reply to that.

“If…if I did say no, what would you do?”

Kourubi tensed, her hands clenching into fists. Her gaze shifted to the floor. “I’d have to find someone else. I know now that there’s no way Kakashi can survive being my only Familiar after my next and final growth cycle.”

“Then…then we should probably bond quickly, right?”

Kourubi’s head shot up, her eyes wide and glassy with the almost tears that threatened to fall. 

“If I’m really the one you want, I mean,” Iruka muttered nervously. 

Kourubi’s hands reached up to cup his cheeks, her staff clattering, forgotten, to the ground. Before Iruka knew what was happening, warm, barely chapped lips were pressed against his own, leaving him breathless. 

Kourubi pulled back with a smile. “I’d have no one else. Come. Sit. Naruto, go grab the chalk from my trunk in the closet!”

She pushed him to sit on the floor in front of the couch while Naruto scrambled to pull out a large, heavy looking trunk from the closet. From the trunk, he removed a thick stick of shimmering white chalk. 

“Does it hurt?” Iruka asked as he watched Naruto draw two circles with the chalk, filling the narrow gap between them with arcane runes.

“No,” Kourubi reassured gently. “Not even for a moment.”

He met her eyes, concern evident on his face. “Even when your soul breaks?”

Kourubi blinked in surprise, letting out a little laugh. “Oh, I thought you were just talking about you. Yes, for me it hurts. But it’s bearable. After all…” She smiled at him, genuine and sweet. “What’s a bit of your soul for a lifetime of companionship?”

He stared at her, confusion and awe warring in his eyes. What person thought so little of their soul that they didn’t even hesitate to break it and give a piece away? Surely he wasn’t worth that much. 

“I’m starting,” Naruto warned, the finished chalk circle starting to glow.

Kourubi cupped Iruka’s face in one of her hands, reaching out to grip his clammy hand with the other. “Hold onto me.” 

His hand tightened around her as the light from the circle increased in intensity. He watched as her face twitched as the pain hit her, but her eyes never left his. Something emerged from her chest, a small, glowing crystal with rough edges. It hung in the air between them, waiting.

“What…what do I do?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

She smiled, taking his hand and moving it up under the crystal. She guided his hand to pull the tiny piece of her soul back towards him, until it hit his own chest. His body seized up as it sank into his skin. A wave of warmth over took him and suddenly he could feel everything she ever felt. Her joy, her sadness, and a smoldering anger hidden just below the surface of everything else that he never would have thought she was capable of. But her love. There was so much of it; he felt he would drown in it. He couldn’t breathe. 

He could feel his form shifting without his permission. He hadn’t changed in so long, he’d forgotten how it felt to shift from human to animal. The light faded, and he collapsed in her arms. 

“Am I the only one disappointed he’s not a dolphin?” Kakashi asked tiredly from the couch. 

Kourubi shot him a look, running her hands down Iruka’s back as the otter wiggled in her grasp. She turned back to her new Familiar, her smile never leaving her face. “At least I know what your tell is now.”

Iruka blinked up at her in confusion. “Huh?” 

“Your skin when you’re human is the same color as your fur,” she clarified. “It’s a subtle tell, no wonder you were able to hide your identity as a Familiar for so long.” 

“Oh! Yes,” Iruka said, a little bit of embarrassment in his voice. “For the longest time my parents were unaware that I was a familiar. I…don’t transform often. I’m surprised I did so now.”

“The bonding will do that,” Naruto explained vaguely. 

“Can you shift back?” Kourubi asked with some concern. 

Iruka nodded, and Kourubi had to hold back a giggle at how cute it looked. “I think so. Give me a second…”

Shifting back was, in Iruka’s opinion, even stranger from shifting into animal form. Especially when your weight changed as drastically as his did between forms. He found himself nearly knocking Kourubi over, his hands grasping at her arms. He hadn’t thought to move away from her as he changed. 

“S-sorry,” he muttered, moving back from the cradle of Kourubi’s arms. 

She giggled a little. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Oh, so you finally got your act together, huh?” The group looked towards the stairs as Ryou and Genma came up them. “The mess has been cleared away, the city guard finally came to do their damn job.”

“We don’t know if there were attacks in other parts of the city or not, Ryou, go easy on them,” Genma chided softly. “There are fewer of them then there are of us, any way. Mages will always get to the scene faster than the guard.”

Ryou gave a disgruntled sigh, but let the topic drop, his eyes settling on Kourubi and Iruka who still sat in the chalk circle. “Took you two long enough.”

“It’s only been a week, Ryou,” Kourubi reminded. “Compared to how long I knew Kakashi before we bonded, I’d say we were taking it pretty fast. Not everyone meets and bonds with their Familiar in a day, you know.” 

Ryou turned away with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest. “I refuse to be shamed for what could only be the best decision of my life.”

“I’m not shaming you,” she argued mildly. “If I wanted that, I’d call up Mai. I’m just reminding you that time is relative and not everyone moves at the same pace you do.” 

“And you know nee-chan wouldn’t have bonded so soon if she wasn’t pressed for time,” Naruto added, leaning on his staff – a pale, yellowy wood pole with a nine-tailed fox perched atop it, its tails curled around a sky blue orb.

“It’s my own fault for waiting so long,” she admitted, standing from her spot on the floor. She reached out and offered a hand to Iruka, who took it readily. 

“Now that you’ve bonded,” Kakashi spoke up, “you should probably tell him about all the shit that’s going on.”

Kourubi flinched, knowing that Kakashi was right. By bonding with Iruka, she’d just dragged him into the mess that her world had recently become.

“What is he talking about?” Iruka asked, squeezing Kourubi’s hand. Somehow, even though he was standing now, he hadn’t felt like letting go.

Kourubi sighed deeply, her happy demeanor falling away. “Best gather around the table. This is going to be a long story.”


End file.
